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Tatsuya Shimabukuro to perform in Hawaii’s Okinawan Festival!
I blogged about Tatsuya Shimabukuro’s debut album several months ago and now I’m elated to hear that he’ll be performing at this year’s Okinawan Festival (Honolulu, Hawaii). He’s set to perform on Saturday, August 30, as part of the ROK segment as one of the winners of their Miuta Taisho competition. BBtv has footage (video…
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GANGA ZUMBA’s 2nd album out on 8/20
Kazufumi Miyazawa’s (THE BOOM) latest project, GANGA ZUMBA, will be releasing their 2nd, self-titled album, on 8/20/08. The album will feature 13 tracks including the clip above, “Ashiato no nai michi.” The project commemorates the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil. Kazufumi’s (think “Shima Uta“) world-inspired pop rock for GANGA ZUMBA features Argentine-born singer…
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Update on BEGIN
I received information from CDJapan on an upcoming — yet-to-be-named — single by BEGIN and noticed that quite some time has passed since I last posted an entry on our favorite O-pop band. The new single is set to be released on June 25 and will be the band’s first new release of 2008. Prior…
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Found while browsing the iTunes Store
While browsing the iTunes Store (waiting patiently for Hikaru Utada’s [a J-pop artist with no ties that I know of to Okinawan pop culture but thought I’d share this information with you anyway 😛 ] latest album to pop-up there) I stumbled on two indies artists — one an utasaa, the other an O-pop duo…
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Yasuo Yoshida’s ‘Jakai’ hits stores on March 23rd
Veteran utasaa (Okinawan folk musician) Yasuo Yoshida has a new album out today titled “Jakai.” Yasuo-sensei is one of the most I’m-happy-to-be-in-the-background-kind of musicians I’ve ever met so I’m quite eager to listen to the album. Many of you who follow shimauta and O-pop (Okinawan pop music) will probably be familiar with his wife, Yasuko…
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Tatsuya Shimabukuro’s debut album ‘Tunugi’ hits stores on March 12!
Perhaps the most anticipated CD debut (for Okinawan minyou) of the year is Tatsuya Shimabukuro’s “Tunugi” which is set to be released on March 12. Tatsuya’s “Tunugi” will contain 12 tracks including two that he composed the music for. The reasonably priced ¥2,500 album, from Campus Records’ Tundami label, will also feature the talents of…
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Lyrics: Misako Koja’s ‘Warabigami’
Warabigami Lyrics by Misako Koja / Music & Arrangement by Kazuya Sahara from the album “Ama Kakeru Hashi (Bridges Over Heaven)” (DM-002) tiN kara nu migumi, ukiti ku nu shige ni Nmari taru nashigwa, wami nu mui sudati irayoo hei, irayoo hoi irayoo kanashi umi nashigwa nakuna yooya heiyoo heiyoo tida nu hikari ukiti yuuiri…
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Joutou (best) of 2007
What’s a blog without a Best of 2007 list? I’ve been planning to do one for a couple of weeks now but you know how that goes so here it is, barebones and just in for the final day of 2007. BEST ALBUM Artist: Kazutoshi Matsuda Title: Diigunii Genre: Shimauta Released: 6/15/2007 It took him…
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Kazutoshi Matsuda posts pics from Okinawa’s New Year’s TV specials
Popular utasha (Okinawan folk singer) Kazutoshi “Kaazuu” Matsuda recently performed in two of Okinawa’s New Year’s TV specials: RBC’s “Kouhaku Uta-gassen” and OTV’s “Shinshun! Shimauta no Saiten.” Although both shows won’t air until January (RBC’s one on 1/2, OTV’s on 1/3), Kaazuu is sharing a few pics on his blog which gives us a preview…
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They call him ‘jimihen’
Continuing their tradition of releasing a commemorative t-shirt with album releases from legendary utasha Seijin Noborikawa, Respect Record has the “Suikojizai” shirt available for purchase at record stores (like Takara Records on Kokusai) or online at their website. The album is set to be released on 1/16/08. (Via the Campus Record Staff Blog.)
Karakui 